STATEMENT FOR PUBLIC
LETTER TO MADAM ALBRIGHT

The President of the International Helsinki Federation and former President of the Norwegian Parliament Jo Benkov, sent a letter to the US State Secretary Madelaine Albright expressing satisfaction with the election of Madam Albright and desire and expectations that the USA would, under her leadership, confirm their historical commitment to human rights. The letter further says:

"I am writing in the name of the Helsinki Committee asking for your support in forming "forces for arrests" which are to arrest the indicted persons by the International War Crimes Tribunal in former Yugoslavia. We firmly believe we can not expect human rights to be respected in future in former Yugoslavia, should the indicted war criminals be not delivered to the Court. If the accused persons be not handed over to the Hague Tribunal, the credibility of the peace process established by the Dayton Accord and moral credibility of NATO and its members, especially of the USA, for its leading role, shall suffer a lot.

As a result of all this, the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina shall remain unstable and therefore the presence of the American and others troops will be necessary in order to maintain false peace without justice.

Moreover, the severest forms of violation of human rights and humanitarian law can be expected in other regions and in the Balkans as well, if the current humiliating situation continues. By such inactivity, the USA and allies give a clear message to potential bullies, killers and people who fight for ethic cleansing that their crimes will be watched with indifference.

Due to possible development of events, we, from the community of defenders of human rights, ask from the USA to show its leading role and to undertake a decisive action in order to prevent future tragedy, through decisive fight with passed events".

The International Helsinki Federation gathers 31 independent organizations for monitoring, protection and promotion of human rights in the USA, Canada and Europe. A full member of this renowned international organization is the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

No. 08-03/97